Human Trafficking: A Global Issue PDF

Trafficking in persons is a severe crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers. Human trafficking is not a new issue. It has been occurring and will continue to occur unless it is spotlighted by increased education...

Trafficking in persons is a severe crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers. Human trafficking is not a new issue. It has been occurring and will continue to occur unless it is spotlighted by increased education and identification of the victims. Human trafficking is often referred to as \"modern human slavery.\" The issue can happen anywhere as long as the environment contains vulnerable conditions. Human trafficking varies from country to country, but it usually preys on vulnerable situations. People in vulnerable and precarious situations are looking for a way out and, in their desperation, can fall prey to human traffickers. *Trafficking* is a complex phenomenon often driven or influenced by social, economic, cultural and other factors. **1. What is human trafficking?** Although human trafficking is recognized as a growing international phenomenon, one with a long history, a uniform definition has yet to be internationally adopted. However, the concept of Human Trafficking defined by the United Nations is seemingly accepted globally. The UN declared that human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception to exploit them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims. **2. Common forms of human trafficking** *Human trafficking* is an illegal phenomenon that all countries agreed to abolish. Today, there are approximately 45.8 million people caught in the trap of modern slavery around the world. The U.S. State Department declared that about 80 % of the victims across international borders every year are female, and half are children. Even though several international organizations conduct global estimates on types of human trafficking, they classify the issue into four main categories, including sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, trafficking of children, and organ trafficking. **2-1. Sexual Exploitation** The most prevalent form of human trafficking that results in servitude is the recruitment and transport of people into the international sex industry. Sex slavery involves males and females, both adults and children and constitutes an estimated 58 per cent of all trafficking activities. It consists of different types of servitude, including forced prostitution, pornography, child sex rings, and sex-related occupations such as nude dancing and modelling. Forced prostitution is an ancient form of enslavement, and recruitment into this lifestyle is often a booming business for purveyors of the sex trade. Victims of sexual slavery are often manipulated into believing that they are being relocated to work in legitimate forms of employment. Those who enter the sex industry as prostitutes are exposed to inhumane and potentially fatal conditions, especially with the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Additionally, some countries, including India, Nepal, and Ghana, have a form of human trafficking known as ritual (religion-based) slavery, in which young girls are provided as sexually enslaved people to atone for the sins of family members. **2-2. Labour exploitation** Even if trafficking for forced labour is less frequently discovered and reported than trafficking for sexual exploitation, many labour-related exploitations are still enormous challenges that harm the dignity of a person. There are many different forms of labour exploitation. Forced labour is any work or service that people are forced to do against their will, usually under threat of punishment. The exploitation affects at least 27.6 million people worldwide -- with at least 17.3 million people experiencing forced labour exploitation in the private economy, nearly 4 million people in state-imposed forced labour, and over 6 million people in commercial sexual exploitation. Forced labour exploitation is most often found in industries with informal workers and little regulation, including agriculture and fishing, services such as hospitality and transport, domestic work, construction, mining, quarrying and brick kilns, manufacturing, etc. Many people associate forced labour and slavery with physical violence. Bonded labour, also referred to as debt bondage, is the enslavement of people for unpaid debts and is one of the most common forms of contemporary forced labour. It occurs when a person has to work to pay back an inherited debt or when a debt is incurred as part of the terms of employment. According to estimates, in 2022, around one-fifth of all people in forced labour exploitation in the private economy are in situations of debt bondage. Many people in debt bondage have their passports and other ID documents seized by their employers, leaving the workers unable to leave or living in fear of being criminalized. Some victims of debt bondage face threats, intimidation and violence from the people who exploit them. Although bonded labour is illegal, laws against it are rarely enforced, particularly in cases where people in power benefit directly from exploiting others. **2-3. Trafficking of Children** Global estimates indicate that 30 to 50% of all trafficking victims are children under 18 years of age. Not only are children often sexually exploited in the sex industry and targeted for child pornography and paedophiles, but children are also trafficked to hazardous or exploitative child labour such as untangling fishing nets, sewing goods in sweatshops, picking cocoa, and begging to deprive children of their childhood and their potential and dignity. Traffickers may lure children and their parents into leaving home with the promise of a better life. On some occasions, desperate parents will sell their children to a trafficker so that they have fewer mouths to feed. Forced conscription of children into armed conflict is another form of trafficking which enslaves children in war zones and removes their freedom. The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers estimates that there are still tens of thousands of children who are used as combatants and sexually exploited in armed forces and groups in 19 countries and territories worldwide. The 2022 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery show that there has been a significant rise in people living in forced marriages since 2016 -- this increase of 6.6 million people includes a significant proportion of children. Overall, 41% of people forced to marry are children, and while it is infrequent for children under the age of 10 to be forced into marriage, the Estimates included reports of children aged nine who had been forced into marriage. Children are clearly in a weaker position to give free, full and informed consent to marriage than adults, even if they appear to \'agree\' or do not express refusal. Many children have little or no control over their movements or person within marriage, including over sexual relations. Girls, in particular, are commonly controlled through violence, threats and humiliation, as well as experiencing isolation and loneliness. Children may not realistically be able to leave their marriages. For example, they may not be able to support themselves financially or may fear repercussions from in-laws, the wider community, and their own families. Girls who leave their marriages without support are often vulnerable to other forms of slavery and exploitation. **2-4. Organ trafficking** Another recent and highly controversial occurrence involving human trafficking is the abduction or deception that results in the involuntary removal of bodily organs for transplant. For years, there have been reports from China that human organs were harvested from executed prisoners without the consent of family members and sold to transplant recipients in various countries. There have also been reported incidents of the removal and transport of organs by medical and hospital employees. In addition, there have been claims that impoverished people sell organs such as kidneys for cash or collateral. Although there have been some allegations of trafficking of human fetuses for use in the cosmetics and drug industry, these reports have not been substantiated. In recent years, the Internet has been used as a medium for the donors and recipients of organ trafficking, whether legal or not. **3. Root causes of trafficking** Poverty, particularly extreme poverty, is a significant driver of human trafficking. The COVID-19 pandemic has reversed progress in ending extreme poverty, with the number of workers living in extreme poverty rising from 6.7% in 2019 to 7.2% in 2020. This increase represents 8 million people, making them more vulnerable to traffickers. People also sell their family members, including their children, to survive or hope for a better life. Other causes of human trafficking include a lack of education and legitimate work. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has a right to education, which should be free and compulsory. Technical and professional education should be \"generally available\" and equally accessible to all based on merit. Poor education negatively impacts their families\' lives, including their children. Consumers are always looking for cheaper products and services, which drives corporations to look for cheaper labour, which incentivizes exploitation and trafficking. Industries like agriculture, fishing, mining, and domestic work are especially ripe for exploitation. Commercial sex is also in demand, encouraging traffickers to supply more people, especially women and girls. According to 2020 UNODC data, women and girls make up 65% of trafficking victims, with 90% being trafficked for commercial sex. Children are also especially vulnerable to exploitation like forced labour, forced marriage, armed conflict, and commercial sex. Many legal frameworks forbid human trafficking, but not all focus on human rights. When human rights are not centred, it can be trickier to determine who is responsible for responding to and preventing human trafficking. Anti-trafficking efforts can be scattershot and ineffective, and victims can be retraumatized when their rights are not protected. Trafficking is a clear violation of human rights, but if anti-trafficking activities do not use a rights approach, attempts to end trafficking can cause more harm. Lack of legitimate economic opportunities can drive people into dangerous situations. COVID-19 caused an increase in unemployment, especially among women and youth workers, who are already at a higher risk for trafficking. Stabilizing economies and improving economic development give people more legitimate economic opportunities so they are not driven into risky situations by desperation. Cultural factors also impact the prevalence of human trafficking. Sending a child away to work is commonly accepted in places like Central America, East Asia, and the Caribbean, making it easier to exploit children. Bonded labour occurs when people are forced to work to pay off debt, and devaluing the personhood of women and girls is another persistent cultural factor impacting human trafficking. When society faces severe disruptions, people become more desperate, leading to increased trafficking. Conflict tends to fuel impunity, and people lack safe, legal options for work and migration. In armed conflict, children as young as eight years old can be forced to work as soldiers, spies, messengers, or lookouts. Women and girls are often victims of sexual trafficking during conflict, and natural disasters can lead to large groups losing homes and access to education, work, and basic necessities. Refugees and migrants are among the most targeted groups for trafficking, and accurate information about how many migrants are trafficked or taking irregular pathways remains limited.